Anniversary
by Mr.Mellow
Summary: One shot piece of fluff in honor of today, March 9, 2018.


Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters are the property of Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC television. All others are the product of my imagination. Any resemblance with any person, living or dead is purely coincidental.

All mistakes are mine. I have no beta for my story.

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It was early on the Friday morning. One of those mornings after a long evening working a case. Kate didn't have any early meetings on this particular Friday, on purpose.

She looked over at her husband of almost 4 years, smiling. His well-groomed hair disheveled from the pillow. She heard her almost year-old daughter starting to move in her crib.

"It's time to move," she thought. "Lily will soon want her breakfast."

Kate quickly turned off the monitor before Lily woke her father. She then proceeded to the stairs to get the newest Castle.

Opening the door to the bedroom Beckett saw her daughter starting to move around in the crib.

Lily cooed at her mother.

Kate smiled and said, "Good morning, Lily. Did you sleep well?"

Lily smiled at her mother with a no longer toothless grin.

Kate picked up Lily and put her on the changing table. She took the baby out of the footie pajamas and then changed the diaper, liberally using the baby powder and diaper cream to prevent a rash. Dressing her daughter warmly with some button up pants, a long sleeve shirt, socks, and a drool bib that said 'Daddy's Girl', Kate carried Lily out of the room.

Holding her child as she gently went down the stairs, she hummed a nonsense song to entertain Lily. Lily grinned around her fingers in her mouth. Several teeth showed but the others had not appeared. As Kate walked through the kitchen and office she smiled thinking about how much her life changed.

"Lily, do you know what today is?" Kate asked her daughter.

Lily looked at her, took her fingers out of her mouth, pointed to the master bedroom and said, "Da da?"

"Yes, my little flower, your daddy is in there asleep," She answered her daughter smiling. "And today is a special day for your mommy and daddy. And for you for that matter."

She kissed her child on the forehead and breathed in deeply the freshly diapered baby powder scent.

"Lily, today is a special day," Kate continued. "A day that I didn't know at the time would dramatically change my life for the better. Oh so much better."

Pointing again to the bedroom Lily said, "Da da?"

"Yes my sweetie, today is the anniversary of when I first really met your father."

Looking back at her mother Lily said, "Da da."

"Uh huh," Kate answered. "I went you your daddy's book launch party for a 'Derrick Storm' novel."

"Sa?"

"Derrick Storm. I was a police detective then and I recognized a crime scene that matched one from your daddy's books."

"Da da?"

"Yes, your daddy," Kate said. "I took him in for questioning and he played the bad boy. Later I found out he is a fantastic father to your sister, Alexis."

"Sis?" Lily started looking around for her sister.

"Sorry, Lily. Alexis isn't here. She said she'll be by this evening."

Beckett carried her daughter into the master bedroom to look at Castle still asleep. Lily started squirming in her mother's arms, saying, "Da da."

Kate let Lily down on the bed keeping her from falling off. Lily crawled on the bed to her father.

"Da da," she said as she patted her father.

Rick started to stir. Slowly he turned from his side to lay on his back. Lily crawled up onto his chest. Castle wrapped his arms around his youngest child and said, "Morning, sweet pea. My little flower."

Rick looked over Lily's head to Beckett. "Good morning, love. I didn't hear you get up."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett responded. "You were up late. Writing, I presume?"

"Yeah," Castle responded rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I had a breakthrough on the one scene where Derrick was crawling through dense underbrush to get to a surveillance point. It took me a while to get it to my liking."

Beckett looked at her husband and then said, "Do you know what today is?"

"I dunno," Castle said. "Friday?"

"Yes, it is. But something else."

Castle tapped his chin as if pondering. He looked up at the ceiling trying not to laugh.

"Hmm," he said. "It's not Alexis's birthday. And it's not Pi day. That's a few days away. Hmm."

He tapped his chin some more and then started to laugh.

"Oh you," Kate said and hit him with a pillow.

Castle pulled his wife and daughter in for a hug.

"Did you think I would forget one of the most important and best days of my life?" Castle asked. "You really think that I wouldn't remember one of the top 5 days of my life with you?"

"Top 5?" Beckett asked.

"Yes, well," Castle said as he started to count his fingers on his left hand. "One, the day we got married. Two, the day Lily was born," he said as he kissed his daughter. "The day you said yes, you would marry me. Four, the day you showed up at my door soaked to the bone. And today, the anniversary of the day that started it all. The day you crashed my Derrick Storm book launch party. So yeah, top 5."

"What about Alexis?"

"Alexis was born pre you," Castle said matter-of-factly. "I was talking about our days."

"Yeah," Beckett smiled. "Our days."

Castle kissed his wife and then got out of bed. "Shall I make breakfast while you shower before you go to work?"

"That would be nice," Kate answered.

Just then Lily made a red face and a large fart.

"I think that's my cue," Rick said. "Lily, did you make us presents?" Sniffing his daughter, "Oh my, eyelash curlers. Come on, Lily," Castle said as he picked up his little girl. "Let's get you cleaned up. And then let me fix breakfast for my girls."

Lily giggled as her father kissed her the cheek.

Kate grabbed her husband's cheeks and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "Love you, babe. Happy Anniversary."

"Love you, too, Kate. Happy Anniversary."

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A/N: A little fluff for March 9, 2018.


End file.
